Stephen Colbert Recreates Mariah’s New Year’s Eve Meltdown

We may never know exactly what happened to Mariah Carey in Times Square on New Year’s Eve—was it sabotage? Lip-syncing? Bad luck? Her team and Dick Clark Productions have spent the first days of 2017 trading barbs and pointing fingers, while the rest of the internet delight in the gift we’ve been given. Stephen Colbert joined the lighthearted spoofery with his own version of Carey’s NYE performance.

“2016 was rough, but I’m staying positive about 2017,” Colbert said. “And the year is starting off great for everyone but Mariah Carey. No one knows exactly what happened. I blame Russian hackers.”

He continued his defense of Carey’s performance and invited her to appear on The Late Show, but then the stage lit up and he was swarmed by backup dancers and feathers, pretending to lose his way through the monologue. Watch the brief bit here:

Colbert was not alone in parodying Carey’s misfortune: The San Antonio Spurs mascot performed a gag set to Mariah’s “Emotions,” in which things went awry.